Silent Buzz

AbstractAmerican agriculture is addicted to honeybees and in the past few years we have begun to run short of them. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a significant disappearance of honey bee colonies that may be affecting bees in more than 22 states, threatens the production of crops dependent on bees for pollination as well as honey production. Of the 2.4 million colonies of bees in the United States, this need is projected to increase significantly over the next few years. This paper outlines the extensive research being done to prevent the collapse of the honeybee colony and steps being taken to remedy the situation.

The Silent BuzzThe domesticated European honeybee was introduced to North America 400 years ago by colonists at Jamestown and Williamsburg to provide their settlements with honey. Few bees native to the continent produced enough honey to make harvesting viable. Since then the honeybee has spread into every farmable corner of North America. The honeybee is a remarkable insect so small yet so vital to the fruits and vegetables that we eat. Autumn collapse, May disease, spring dwindle, disappearing disease and fall dwindle disease are all the names mistakenly given to colony collapse disorder. Autumn collapse was inappropriate because the bees are disappearing throughout the year. Dwindle implies a steady decline of the bees population while the actual rate of adult bee loss in population have not been recorded it is evident that colonies can quickly lose their workforce in a matter of weeks. Disappearing has been used to refer to other conditions that do not share the same symptoms as those being presented, and the term disease is commonly associated with a pathogenic agent. Colony “Collapse Disorder (or CCD) is a little-understood phenomenon in which worker bees from a beehive or...